Hundreds of people erupted in protest on the streets of the Niger capital, demanding the withdrawal of US troops after the military rulers further shifted their strategy by ending a defence accord with the US and welcoming Russian military instructors, Al Jazeera reported on Saturday.

Marching arm in arm through central Niamey, the crowd waved Nigerien flags, recalling anti-French protests that spurred the withdrawal of France’s forces from Niger last year after an army coup.